Planners will be seeking permission on Monday, March 20, to rezone nearly 70 acres of land north and east of Lake Forest (see map below) for future development, according to county records.
Engineer Tim Powell of TSP Companies, Inc., on behalf of the land owner Giunta Group Ltd., has applied to rezone 69 acres of developable upland areas at the northeast corner of 42nd street and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.
The meeting is scheduled to be held at 6 p.m. at the Hillsborough County Center at 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa.
The total acreage of the Giunta property is 641.95 acres, most of it protected wetlands.
Powell is seeking a change to planned development (PD) zoning for three island-like areas abutting Lake Forest in order to build a mixed-use (multi-family residential and commercial and office, or non-residential) development on the site.
The development, called The Reserve at Grand Cypress, would consist of 26,000-sq.ft. of commercial space, 149,000-sq.ft. of office space and 812 multi-family units.
Requests for rezoning hearings were originally scheduled for Dec. 19, Jan. 19 and Feb. 20, but were postponed each time as the site plan has undergone numerous revisions.
Powell wrote in his letter to Lake Forest property owners on Nov. 14 of last year that the property, “has undergone extensive preliminary environmental, civil and transportation engineering and planning for the past two years in anticipation of submitting the Planned Development (PD) site plan specific zoning.”
Lake Forest residents — primarily the 100 or so whose current homes are right on the boundary of the proposed Reserve at Grand Cypress — are expected to present their concerns at the rezoning meeting.
Those concerns, to name a few, are likely to include the impact of building such a large development on the local environment and wildlife, how construction will affect the way the water currently drains from the wetlands, the noise and the proximity of the new apartments to the existing homes, and a potential issue with school rezonings.
Most of the area is already zoned for Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms, although that school is close to capacity.
Another concern is traffic. However, by the time any construction begins — Powell says it would be “multiple” years before ground is even broken on the project — Segment A of the BBD widening project, which currently is under construction, should be completed.
Some Lake Forest residents met with Powell on Feb. 2, where he presented the proposed plans.
Those residents responded with some of their desires, while hoping to schedule another meeting with Powell.
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